Truck Leaking Chemical Forces Evacuation Of 200

July 29, 1985|By Stephen d`Oliveira, Staff Writer

NORTH LAUDERDALE — About 200 people were forced to evacuate their homes Sunday night after police discovered a potentially dangerous industrial solvent leaking from a tanker truck parked in a shopping center.

Police said an 11-year-old boy and a North Lauderdale police officer were hospitalized briefly Sunday after being exposed to the industrial cleaning fluid, which was identified by authorities as Phenol.

``It`s deadly if (the fumes are ) inhaled for a good period of time,`` said Sgt. Robert B. Manfre, of the North Lauderdale Police Department. He said residents were evacuated as a precautionary measure.

``The closer you get to it, the more dangerous it is,`` Manfre said.

Manfre said the silver-colored tanker, owned by B & B Chemical of Miami, was parked in the south end of the Presidential Plaza at the intersection of Rock Island Road and Southgate Boulevard.

According to Manfre, the truck`s driver, a North Lauderdale resident, had permission to park his truck overnight. He was scheduled to deliver the Phenol to Hialeah early today.

David Vaughn, 11, of the 400 block of Southwest 71st Avenue, was playing underneath the tanker Sunday shortly before 7:30 p.m. when some of the leaking industrial cleaner fell on him, causing a minor burn to his shoulder, Manfre said.

Manfre said the boy`s parents called police.

North Lauderdale police officer Robert Edgerton went to the scene. Edgerton had been standing by the tanker for about 30 minutes, taking notes for his report, when he began to have difficulty breathing, Manfre said.

Manfre said police learned of the toxic nature of the truck`s contents around 8 p.m. after police called Chem Check, a Washington, D.C. center that provides information about the dangers of chemicals.

The truck contained 4,300 gallons of the chemical, authorities said.

``He`s very lucky because the stuff is very toxic,`` said Broward County Emergency Medical Services Commander Steve Simon.

Paramedic Donna Schules said Edgerton also complained of a sore throat, nausea and wobbly knees.

Simon said neither Vaughn nor Edgerton was seriously injured, but were taken to Northwest Regional Hospital in Margate, where they were treated and released.

North Lauderdale police requested the Fort Lauderdale Fire Department`s Hazardous Material Team to patch the leaking tank and supervise the transfer of the Phenol into the new truck, which arrived at 11:05 p.m.

Police said the residents of Southwest Third Court, the only street evacuated, were allowed to go back into their homes shortly after midnight.